Everything You Need To Know About Taking Collagen Supplements
Wellness trends come and go as quickly as the seasons change, making it impossible to stay on top of any of them before another comes around to take its place. But there’s one health buzzword that’s had some staying power over the last few years, and it’s collagen.
Known in the beauty world as the magical ingredient that helps skin stay supple, youthful, and wrinkle-free in addition to helping your hair and nails grow long and strong, collagen sounds like the power protein that can do it all. And that’s because it kind of can.
“Collagen is a protein and it provides the main structural support for skin, ligaments, bones, and cartilage all of which are essential for the structure of the body. It gives that plumpness and radiance that we all love,” nutrition expert Vidhi Patel says. “The amount of collagen in your skin starts to slowly reduce by 1.5 percent per year as you age.”
Gold Collagen, the top liquid collagen supplement based in the U.K offers a wide range of supplements developed for anti-aging, beauty, skin, hair, nails, joints, and well-being. Selling over 50 million bottles worldwide, the brand works with leading academic institutes, along with nutrition and scientific experts when formulating their collagen-based liquid supplements in double-blind placebo-controlled studies with results backed by science.
But what even is collagen, what does it do for the body and how can we incorporate it into our daily lives? Read on for everything you need to know about taking collagen supplements.
How do collagen supplements work?
Collagen is a naturally-occurring protein in the human body found in skin, muscles, joints, connective tissue, blood vessels, and bones. As we age, we start to notice wrinkly and dehydrated skin, sore joints, and hair loss, to name a few. “It’s one of those things where we have to wake up before it’s too late,” Patel says, which is why she recommends taking a supplement, like Gold Collagen Pure—with 11 active ingredients including Hydrolyzed Collagen, Biotin, Hyaluronic Acid—which is a clinically-proven and tested liquid formula with demonstrated visible results in just three weeks.
Supplements work to add collagen to the body and encourage natural growth of our own bodies’ collagen supply, too. The idea, Patel says, is to kickstart your body’s own production of the power protein, and give your body the collagen it needs in the meantime while it gets there.
What are the benefits of taking collagen supplements?
While it’s most well-known for improving elasticity and signs of aging in the skin and helping grow longer, healthier hair and nails, it’s also great for healing, Patel says. Collagen is frequently part of post-operative routines because of how much it helps speed up the healing process. On top of reducing fine lines and wrinkles and boosting skin hydration, supplements like Gold Collagen Pure help strengthen bones and joints as we age, and support energy levels, hormonal activity, and the immune system, too.
What kinds of collagen supplements are there?
Collagen can be taken in a variety of forms, like liquid, powder, pill, and tablet. But Patel says the most important thing to think about when choosing your supplement is its bioavailability, a.k.a. how easy it is for the body to absorb. According to Patel, collagen in liquid form (without additives like, colourants, sweeteners, fillers, and stabilizers), such as Gold Collagen Pure, is the easiest for the body to quickly absorb into the bloodstream and convenient to take.
When looking at collagen supplements, what should you be looking for?
Outside of looking for a product without additives, Patel says there are some key ingredients, like the ones found in Gold Collagen Pure and Gold Collagen Multi Pure, that help you get the most out of your supplement. Vitamin C and Bioperine (or black pepper) helps with absorption, while Hyaluronic Acid aids in moisture retention and Zinc with hair, nail and skin maintenance. Other ingredients to look for include Vitamin E and B6, as well as Biotin.
What is the difference between bovine and marine collagen?
Is one better than the other? It depends on what issues you are looking to address and how old you are, Patel says. If you’re looking to strengthen joints and nails, bovine can be better at a certain age, but tougher on the digestive system in older individuals. Marine, on the other hand, which is what Gold Collagen Pure and Gold Collagen Multi Pure are formulated with, is easier to absorb, can help build muscle mass and burn fat, and is basically the equivalent of drinking face fillers. “Imagine those little injections you do, [but] to the body orally in a more natural and holistic way,” she says of marine collagen. “It will go to the places where it’s required the most.”
How much collagen should you take daily?
While there isn’t a standardized dosage amount the health industry recommends to take daily, there is a healthy maximum, Patel says. Anywhere from 2.5 to 15 grams is a safe amount to enjoy the benefits without overdoing it, which can cause bloating. She recommends taking collagen for six months and giving the body a rest for one to two months before restarting the process. This, she says, encourages the body to keep working hard to produce its own collagen, too.